Fight or Fight
by Flancooken97
Summary: You sense the danger. The adrenaline rushes through your body and your mind races to make a decision. Fight it Run? The age old saying about fight or flight becomes a reality. Ryan can no longer make the decision to run. To protect who he is, what he knows, what he cares about, and who he loves, he has to stay and fight. (M because of graphic scenes and lemon)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Him

_Ellie_

Ellie sat in the windowsill to her bedroom, a book sprawled open in her lap. She wasn't reading. Joel sat outside her window talking to Tommy and a couple other guys from the scouts. Ellie presumed that he was talking about a mission, but figured he would say no. Since they had returned, Joel had gotten more and more nervous about going out.

She watched Joel nod and walk inside. Ellie jumped from her spot and sprinted out of her room and down the stairs. She met Joel at the door and watched him sigh. "Huhhhhhh. Yes, Ellie, I accepted the job."

Ellie threw her fist into the air and jumped with jow. She didn't like just sitting here. She wanted to be out exploring and finding new things. She always brought something cool home from their missions.

"So, where are we going?" Ellie asked.

The pair walked to their rooms to grab their gear. Joel yelled out into the hall to answer her. "Warehouse. Scout for any large number of supplies for the Packers."

Jackson had one truck. One very large truck that was used to pick up materials when they found a large stash. Coincidently, it was Ellie and Joel who found it for the city to use.

_Finally, I get to get out of here!_

_Ryan_

Ryan sat up slowly and looked out of his hole at the sun. _Time to get up,_ he thought as he crawled from the camo and leaf covered hole in the ground. His German Shepherd, Max, jogged out after him.

He walked over to the his father's jeep and looked at himself in the mirror. He needed to lose some hair. His face was covered in it. Despite being only 16, he would have sworn he was 30. He drew a knife from his belt and slid it down his face, removing most of the beard he had started to grow.

When he was done, he returned the knife to his belt. The black mesh belt around his waist was covered in tactical gear. The belt itself carried two knives and a light, and hanging and fastened on Ryan's legs were two holsters. Each holster carried a gun, several spare clips for it, and a tomahawk. If there's one thing his dad had taught him, it was to be prepared.

Ryan went through his daily routine. He changed his t-shirt, sharpened his many blades, quickly checked his guns, and played with his toys in the trunk. Ryan was what his dad called a hoarder. He liked to collect things he found, especially electronics.

He looked at his watch and climbed out of the trunk. _One more tank and I can leave. So close_. Ryan latched the weapons vest on and grabbed his backpack. He checked his supplies and threw the backpack on. He reached into the jeep and grabbed his dad's carbine assault rifle, equipped with a silencer and an a-cock scope. He kissed his dad's dog tags around his neck and started his walk to the warehouse to find the last tank of gas.

"Don't worry dad, I'll be back for your jeep. I can't leave it behind," he said to himself as he whistled for his dog.

…

Everything went better than expected. Well, that is if you expect as low as he did. He found the enough gas to fill the red container, but stirred up a large number of infected doing so.

Ryan ran down the hall and dipped right into one of the rooms. He hid under a desk and waited for the mob of infected to pass. The hall outside got quiet enough for Ryan to decide they were safe.

He stepped into the hall and turned his light back on. He scanned the dark hall and searched to rooms for loot. To his dismay, he came across a room of clickers, but was silent enough to get away. But, that's also when he heard her.

"This is boring," he heard from his right. He heard the clickers behind him perk up and cringed. He silently jogged up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and covered her mouth. The girl began to scream, but Ryan quickly shut her up.

"Shush, shush, shush. Not gonna hurt you. Clickers behind us. Quiet," He whispered. She nodded and he let her go. He put his fingers pointing to his eyes and pointed to the large room at the end of the hall. She nodded again and ran for it.

He pulled out his silenced M9 and the opposite tomahawk. He looked around the hall for something to make noise. He spotted a stack of barrels and smiled. He took off down the hall after the girl.

_Ellie_

Why was she listening to him? Here was this random hunter telling her what to do and she actually listened to him? She should have killed him, but something in her instincts told her that he wasn't going to be her enemy. Despite being able to kill her, he let her go.

She heard heavy steps from boots behind her. She turned to see the man running up behind her. She pulled her rifle to sight and put him directly at the end. "Who the fuck are you?" she questioned.

He stopped jogging and pointed up at a platform a story or two up. "Doesn't matter. Start climbing. I have a stupid plan."

"Why the fuck should I listen to you?"

"Because I haven't killed you yet and I'm not lying about the infected." He jogged past her and towards the platform. He jumped and grabbed part of the scaffolding to start his ascent.

As she followed him, she got a good look at his weapons. Both of his handguns had their own pocket that hung from his belt, not to mention the extra tube sticking out from the end. His assault rifle also had one of those tubes, and was that a scope? Not to mention all the knives that covered his vest and belt and the tomahawks that hung with his gun pockets.

The dude was packed. Really packed. More than one person should be in an apocalypse. She started climbing after him and sat down on the platform next to him. "So, what's the plan?" she asked.

He pointed to the doorway. "See those metal barrels?" He pulled his rifle around and partially lifted it.

"Yeah?"

"Gonna shoot 'em. Shit's gonna start. And we end it by picking them off." He handed her a beer from his vest and a rag. He pulled the rifle up and Ellie tensed in preparation for the gunshot, but it never came. Just a "Pfft".

The barrels fell and the infected hoarded into the room. Ellie threw the cocktail and shot at those that didn't catch into flames. The guy next to her picked them off even faster. Within minutes, the room was clear.

"Ryan," the man said as he stuck his hand out. Ellie took it and shook. "Ellie," she finally said, still looking at the carnage below. She heard the radio on her waist beep and grabbed it.

"_I heard gunfire. You okay?_" Joel asked over the radio.

"Yeah, we took care of it," she said shakily.

"_We?_"

**AN: Hey guys! If you've read my other fanfiction, then you kinda know my style. I like tragic. As you can probably guess, Ryan's dad is not around. You can also guess the type of man that Ryan's dad was. Let me know what you think so far and give me some tips to improve. Thanks!**

**-Pancake**


	2. Chapter 2

**Fall**

Chapter Two: New Life

Ryan

The two of them walked through the halls while Ellie chattered on her walkie-talkie to this unknown man. "Hey, I'm sorry but I have to put you in danger," Ryan interrupted. Ellie looked confused until Ryan whistled and drew his gun. Elli dropped her talkie and drew her rifle in the opposite direction.

Ryan could hear the jogging and lowered his gun. "The fuck are you doing? Can't you hear them?"

Ryan shook his head and dropped to one knee to welcome his friend. Max came running around the corner with something in his mouth. Ryan removed the bag of beef jerky and roughly pet the dog's head, making the dog clearly happy. "Who's a good boy, Max?"

"Whoa," Ellie shouted. She dropped down and put her hand out. "You have a dog!"

Max sniffed her hand and growled. Ryan smacked his nose and berated him before holding his mouth to let Ellie pet him. Max was clearly not happy about Ellie touching him, because he jumped from Ryan's grasp and growled.

"Whoa, sorry. I've only seen him act this way towards infe…" Ryan drew his gun and spun around. Ellie squealed in surprise and looked slightly terrified. Ryan held the gun shakily and shook his head. "Were you bit?"

Ellie didn't answer. "WERE YOU BIT?" Ellie rolled up her sleeve and held out her arm.

"Yes, but hold up a fucking minute before you get all trigger happy." Ryan gave her the benefit of the doubt. That didn't look like a fresh wound. "It's over a year old. I'm immune."

"Bull shit!" Ryan yelled. He heard Max bark and turned to find a rifle staring him in the face. A man in his early fifties stood at the other end of the gun. "You know kid, you're pretty good loot," the man said.

Ryan kicked the man's shin and dropped below and moved behind him. Now on the offense, Ryan drew his tomahawk and held in against his forearm. "Yeah, I get that a lot." Ryan started to back up in the direction of the exit. "Well, it was nice meeting you two, but I've got to go. Have fun."

Ryan turned to find a runner coming at him. Ryan swung his elbow up to slice the runner's neck, then twisted the tomahawk and brought it down, chopping the head clean off. Two more came at him. He fired and killed one, but didn't get the other in time. It talked him to the ground and started to gnaw at the thick pads around his arms.

Gunfire erupted behind him and the runner fell silent. Ryan pushed him free and turned to see Ellie standing there with her handgun.

Ryan sat up and sighed as Ellie held him at gunpoint. "Shit. Taken down by a girl younger than me. Dad would be pissed."

Ellie

"I don't like him," Joel grunted. Ryan sat inside one of the offices while Joel and Ellie talked about what to do with him.

"So? He saved me, Joel. And you saw what a good fighter he was! He could be helpful in Jackson!" Ellie argued.

"He just seems… Reckless." Joel argued. Ellie let out an irritated sigh.

"Joel. you heard him. He's been on his own for over a year! He's obviously good."

"You just like that he's your age," Joel commented quietly. Ellie still heard it, and decided that his opinion didn't matter anymore. She turned around and opened the door. She stepped inside and Ryan looked up from sharpening his tomahawk. "We talked about it."

"I know. You aren't exactly quiet," Ryan joked. Ellie could see his dog, Max, sitting on edge with her in the room. "Ignore him. He still thinks you're dangerous."

"What about you? Do you think I'm dangerous?"

"Oh hell yeah!" Ryan laughed a little. Ellie felt her heart fall and Ryan stopped laughing. "Dangerous, not turning," He added. He smiled up at her and Ellie smiled back.

"So, we have a place you can stay," Ellie suggested.

Ryan shook his head. "Can't. I have to get back to my camp and then take off." Ryan ran his hand through the air like it was flying.

"Where are you going?" Ellie asked him. If he doesn't know, maybe I can convince him to stay.

"My dad told me about a safe place to live up north. He wanted me to be able to settle down and have a family and was very insistent about it on his death bed. So, I think that's where I'm going." Damn, Ellie though. But wait! He's going north. We're north! Maybe we can get him to stay here.

"You know, Canada is a long way to walk," Ellie started.

Ryan interrupted her. "Not walking, more like riding."

"You have a horse? We didn't see one anywhere when we searched the area," Ellie questioned.

Ryan shook his head. "Didn't bring it."

Ellie looked at his expression to decide whether or not he was crazy. "Anyway. If it's settling down that you're looking for, we live in a town. Friendly people, safe place to live, honest work. Whaddya say?"

Ryan looked at her skeptically. "So, you're inviting someone you just met to a paradise in this hell we live in, risking me actually being a hunter? And you expect me to agree to go with a random girl I just met and risk being led into a trap where I'll be eaten alive? Do you think I'm stupid? I've survived almost a year by myself doing the exact opposite."

Ryan got up from his seat and put his tomahawk onto the gun holster. He smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "Sorry if you are telling me the truth. Nice to meet you Ellie." Ryan walked out of the room and proceeded down the hallway. He whistled and Max followed him out.

Ellie walked out of the room wearing a glum expression. Joel put his hand on her shoulder and eyed the young man walking out. "Come on, baby girl."

"I failed, Joel. Now he's gonna get on his horse and ride away and possibly get killed." Ellie threw her hands up at the latter statement.

"He ain't gettin' killed and he ain't gettin' on no horse. You notice the tank on his bag full of gas? I think we should follow him to see where he goes." Joel started walking out the same door Ryan did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Fall**

Chapter Three: Finder's keepers

_Ellie_

Ellie watched Ryan take the gas can and empty it into the jeep. Her and Joel sat on a hill about half a mile away watching the boy around his camp.

Joel was right, Ryan didn't have a horse. He had a jeep that looked functional. Joel had made some joke about horses and their power, but Ellie didn't get it.

Ryan did what normal people did at their campsites. Nothing out of the ordinary, and he was definitely on his own. Ellie wouldn't really call a jeep under a tarp a camp though. Ryan sat in the jeep playing with something.

Joel had taken a nap and left Ellie to watch him. Ellie was, reasonably, bored. Ryan wasn't doing anything interesting. Ellie set down her binoculars and smacked her head on the grass. She looked back up and grabbed her binoculars. She didn't like what she found when she looked back.

Ryan was holding a rifle, not his assault rifle, straight at her. He put one hand out and waved it towards him. She was caught.

Ellie stood and put her hands up. In the distance, she could see him lower the rifle and he kept closing his hand to himself. Ellie grabbed her rifle and walked down there. "Beautiful evening, isn't it?" Ryan asked sarcastically.

"Lovely. Just makes me want to sing," Ellie returned.

Ryan sighed and walked back to his jeep. He leaned the rifle against the back and sat down. "What are you doing here?" Ryan asked putting his hand on his head and tossing it back down again.

"We were concerned about you. We've met a lot of good people who…" Ellie didn't finish and bowed her head. "Died," Ryan finished.

Ellie walked over and hopped on the back of the jeep with him. "Yeah. And, I kinda like you. There aren't that many people who get along with me. I guess I kinda need someone."

"What, your dad not enough." Ryan chuckled and nudged at Ellie. Ellie smiled and looked over. "He's not my dad."

Ryan looked a bit confused and drew back slightly. "You guys aren't… you know…"

Ellie jumped off the jeep and walked away, throwing her hands in the air. "Fuck no! That's disgusting!" She turned back to him, mortified and fearful of her bright red cheeks.

"Oh good. That means I still have a chance," Ryan cracked. He stared off into the sunset and Ellie changed into a whole new shade of red.

Ryan got off the jeep and walked over to a tarp on the ground. "So, wanna help me?"

"Help you do what?" Ellie questioned.

Ryan glanced over and spread his hands. "Pack up. I'm not staying here." Ellie's heart fell into her stomach as he started folding stuff up and putting it into the jeep. Ellie looked at the side and noticed the writing covering the sides. "Sheriff?"

Ryan pulled a metal box from under the tail of the jeep and opened it up. "Yeah, that was the last thing my father did before the apocalypse." Ellie looked over at the metal case Ryan was messing with.

The large box was lined with foam and had several larger guns in it. The sniper rifle, which Ryan just returned, a large weapon that looked like a cross between a hunting rifle with a large clip and a sniper, a small looking assault rifle, and a shotgun. All the weapons except the shotgun had the extra tube on the end that made the gun silent.

Ryan slid the box back under the tail and stood up. He hopped into the back and started to pack stuff into several large containers. He slid them against the metal divider the separated the front from the back and pulled several straps over them to keep them in place.

Ellie wandered around the jeep and looked at all the writing. As usual, the sides had the numbers "911" written out in white letters over the black paint. There was something like the patches that the soldiers wore next to the word sheriff and it was painted onto the front too. The front had a guard that protected worn, red and blue lights that looked as though they hadn't been turned on in a while. The normal headlights were clearish and looked as functional as the last truck they were in.

The pair of red and blue lights that sat on top of the windshield looked like they were in much better condition. The jeep also had a bar the went over the seats at the height of the windshield with several lights on it. Ryan tapped on her shoulder and walked over to the driver side and hopped into the jeep. "You coming?"

Ellie felt startled. Did he really want her to go with him? "I can't go with you. What about Joel?"

Ryan gave her a concerned look. "We go get him?" Ryan started the jeep and it started right up. "Get on your radio and tell him that I'm going to pick him up."

"Where are we going?" Ellie asked as she got into the front seat. Max sniffed her again and growled a little, but stayed put.

"Where else? Your town. I guess, if I'm invited, I can stay here. No one's expecting me anyway."

_Ryan_

Joel told Ryan to pull the jeep up to the large gate near the dam. Joel stood up and yelled at some unseen person. After a couple of minutes of the two men arguing about the jeep, they let the three of them inside and Ryan drove his jeep into the town.

Joel informed Ryan that he would need to speak to Maria, the town's leader, in order to stay and get a residence here. Ryan didn't mind. This was fairly simple so far. Ryan pulled the jeep in front of a small building wrapped around an inoperable fountain that Joel and Ellie called the town hall. Ryan wasn't impressed, but he didn't expect to be.

The three of them got out of the jeep and Ellie and Joel headed inside. Ryan, out of years of precaution, put his weapons vest on and looked around. He could see people staring at him and his vehicle. "If I come out and this is gone, I swear to god..." Ryan didn't know what to threaten them with. What was he going to do with 20 to 1. "Stay here Max, and don't let anyone touch it." Max barked in understanding and Ryan walked inside.

The inside of the building was clean and felt cool. He saw Ellie motioning him to follow her into a corridor. Ryan obliged and stepped through. inside the room were two more people. A man who looked like a younger version of Joel with longer hair and a woman about the same age. "So this is the reason the recon took so long," the woman said.

Ryan smiled and put out his hand. He cautiously shook the woman's hand and she smiled back at him. "Ryan," he said. She let go of his hand. "Maria," she finally responded. She turned around and walked to the desk to sit down. "So, what is a young man like yourself doing out here in the wild?"

Ryan sat down in the chair across from the desk. "Traveling, but I was stopped and my other plans aren't for certain." Maria folded her hands and looked Ryan in the eye. Ryan leaned back and set his leg on his knee. "I am armed. To the teeth." Ryan smiled to show his teeth for emphasis.

Maria laughed and turned her chair. "Why would that help you?"

Ryan shook his head. "Wouldn't, it'd help you. As I'm not willing to just give up my father's weapons, I am willing to let specific people use them." Ryan swept his hand around, indicating that anyone in the room would have access.

"What about the jeep?" Maria pried. Ryan shook his head, "I have to be there. My father and I put in too much work for me to give that up."

Maria nodded and turned to fully face him. "Would you do your part? That jeep could still be of use."

Ryan smiled and tossed his hands apart. "Of course. I didn't say that you couldn't use me and my vehicle, just that no one else can drive it. I, myself, will help with absolutely anything you need."

Maria stuck her hand out and Ryan took it. He knew he was in the clear. "Welcome to Jackson, Ryan," Maria greeted cheerfully.


	4. Chapter 4

**Fall**

Chapter Four: New Home, New Troubles

_Ryan_

The jeep quieted down in front of a small townhouse. It looked worn, but cozy, something he'd never thought he'd get. Tommy led him over to the small building and stood for a moment while he gazed. "Well? What do you think?" Tommy asked.

Ryan looked over at Tommy skeptically. "This is mine?" He asked. Tommy nodded his head and walked towards the door. "Come on," he called.

The inside was a little dusty, and a few places needed some work, but overall, it was a nice house. Ryan drew his tomahawk and walked around to inspect his new home. He walked out of the foyer and into a living room to see a couch in the along the edge. In the middle sat a coffee table littered with remotes and the opposite wall was covered in theater equipment.

"Does any of this work?" Ryan asked hopefully. He wanted to be able to play around with new electronics. Maybe even get his iPhone to work. Tommy just laughed at him and shook his head. "Son, if any of it does, I wouldn't know. We haven't connected the power lines to this building yet. And even if it did have power, I don't want those things sucking it up."

Ryan continued to stare at the wall of computers and boxes. "If I can get my own power source, would you mind?"

Tommy set a hand on his shoulder and chuckled. "If you could get your own power source, we wouldn't have to connect you to ours."

Ryan nodded his head and smiled to himself. He wanted Tommy to leave so he could start messing with a solar panel that he had in the back of the jeep. He knew it couldn't power all of this, but he figured he could build some himself.

Tommy walked into the kitchen and yelled for Ryan to follow. The rest of the tour went well, and Ryan even decided which room would be his when they cleaned things out. However, the building wasn't clean and Tommy wouldn't let Ryan in right away.

"Which house do Ellie and Joel live in?" Ryan asked. Tommy gave him directions, and lucky for Ryan, it was pretty close. Only a block and a half away.

Ryan called his dog and made his way over to Ellie's. When he got there, he knocked on the door and waited for an answer. To Ryan's demise, Joel answered the door and questioned him like a suspect in one of his dad's stories. By the time Ellie finally pushed him away, he was sure that Joel had got him on a count of murder.

"What's up, newbie?" Ellie questioned as she smiled brightly at him.

Ryan smiled back and locked his hands behind his back. "I was wondering if you could show me around town? You know it and I don't." Ellie glared at him for a second. "Hey Joel?" she yelled.

"Yeah?" a loud voice boomed from inside the house.

"Is this a date?" Her eyes shifted towards Ryan in a shady manor and he was sure she could see the brilliant shades of red his face turned. _That's not what I wanted!_

"Sounds like it to me," Ryan heard Joel yell back. He thought he was gonna die. If Ellie didn't kill him for making things awkward, then Joel would surely kill him over protectiveness. And if neither of those did it, embarrassment would definitely do the job.

"Good," Ellie chirped. She walked outside and closed the door. Ryan stood there in shock as she walked past him. After several seconds, Ellie called for Ryan and he snapped out of his trance.

Ellie showed him around the center of town, the library, the butcher, the supplies shop, and finally the market. Ellie told stories the whole time and Ryan couldn't shut her up if he tried, not that he tried. The pair walked through the market looking at goods like fruit and weapons. Ryan thought about making a weapons stand to get the things he needed. "So I crept up to the ledge and saw the fucker and jumped down onto his back. He was wailing and screaming the whole time," Ellie said. Ryan wasn't really listening to her story, but started laughing when he thought it was appropriate. It was working well for him.

"Oh, I like this guy's stuff!" Ellie shouted and bolted for a table. The man smiled at her and welcomed her as a regular customer. The table was littered with electronic gizmos and Ryan felt his eyes light up and sparkle.

He found an iPod and picked it up. Curious, he pressed the button on the bottom and jumped for joy when it turned on. "How do you get it to work?" Ryan practically screamed at the man.

The older gentleman laughed and took it back, flipping it to show him the bottom. "You plug it in right here," the man said pointing at the slot. Ryan pulled his out and flipped it upside down. "Do you have a plug?"

"What do you have to trade," the man asked. Ryan patted at all of his pockets and sighed. He couldn't think of anything he was willing to part with. The man smiled at him and leaned forward. "I don't know you. Are you new here?"

Ryan answered and the man chuckled. "Tell you what kid, since you're new and friends with El here, you can have one for free." Ryan thanked the man by frantically shaking his hand and slipped the cord and the pronged piece into his cargo pocket.

Just as they turned to leave, Ryan saw something and grabbed Ellie to stop her. A man in his mid twenties kept glancing up at the gentleman running the electronics table and playing with one item on particular. When the electronics guy looked away, the man slipped the item into his pocket and turned to walk away.

"Hey," Ryan shouted. The man started to speed up. Ryan called again and started to follow. When the man took off running, Ryan bolted after. "Max, fetch!" Ryan shouted at his dog.

Max jumped and latched onto the man's leg, causing him to fall over. Ryan jumped on top of him and folded his arms behind his back.

Ryan reached into the man's pocket and pulled an iPod out. "Dirty thief," Ryan grunted as he pulled some string from his pocket and tied the mans hands up.

A crowd gathered around Ryan and his captive as he straddled the thief and patted his dog's head.

A man carrying a gun walked over and asked Ryan what he was doing. Before Ryan could finish, the man, who Ryan guessed was a guard, picked him up off the captive and walked him away. Ryan turned to see another guard carry the thief in the same direction they were going. Ellie followed along throwing curses at the guard.

"Look Ellie, he assaulted someone. I still have to take him to Maria," the man finally yelled back.

The guard didn't actually carry Ryan, as Ryan as taller. It was more like push on his shoulder using his shirt. He was escorted to the town hall and walked into the office that, not 3 hours earlier, he'd met the leader. Maria was sitting at her desk and looked up when the guard pushed Ryan inside. "Ryan! Getting in trouble already?" Maria joked.

"More like cleaning your streets," Ryan grumbled.

"He had his dog attack a man and tied the man's wrist up while holding him down." The guard told her.

"And why would you do that?" Maria asked.

Ryan rolled his eyes at the guard and turned Maria. "I saw him stole something from the guy selling electronics and when I confronted him, he ran. When I had him on the ground, I found the item he stole in his pocket! I'm sorry I'm doing this guys job and catching bad guys," Ryan said in a sympathetic tone to imply insult to the douche behind him.

"Thank you, but you can't just attack people on the street," Maria informed him.

"Well who stops him then? Who's in charge of police because they aren't doing a good job."

"No one. Jackson doesn't have police. When we were smaller, we never had a need for them and the guard has been pretty good up until recently doing that job."

"Well get some!" Ryan shouted. _What kind of town doesn't have police?_

"Who would want to do that?" Maria practically through the opportunity at him. _I can be like dad. Maybe he would be proud of where I am. _

"I would," Ryan responded with pride.

"Well congratulations," Maria clapped, "Sheriff."

**AN: I know you probably don't care that much, but I'm sorry that I haven't been putting Authors notes. Not that many people read them (I know I don't), so I felt it pointless and I really just wanted to write. I don't write for the rating or followers, I write for myself. It does, however, feel pointless if no one else reads. This is just a zombie fantasy I have because of last of us and Terra Nova. I'm not plot twisting or any shit like that. I'm writing what's fun to write so you should enjoy it. I also want to make a comment about a character that no one seems to be able to age. JOEL IS NOT IN HIS FORTIES! Stop saying that, people! He can't be in his forties because even if he was 49, He would have been 17 when Sarah was born. As that's possible, Joel's character is not the kind of guy to do that. (Math= 20 years for apocalypse + 12 for Sarah = 32. Let's add twenty five because that's how old his character looks in the prologue of the game and his younger brother can be that mature at like, less than twenty). Joel is approx. 55 years old. This is simple fucking math people! Why can none of the Fanfic writers do this? Why does everyone say he's 40? If it's to make you feel better about having him fuck Ellie, it doesn't matter. It's still gonna be fucked up and we still all see him the same way. It's bad fanfics like that the throw people off completely and shit all over characters. If you knew he wasn't forty, good for you. You deserve a cookie. But fuck everyone who wrote a story about Ellie and Joel while he was 40, but still followed the end of the game. **

**This is why people suck!**

**Don't judge my writing because I'm a dick. It's not cool.**

**-Pancake **


	5. Chapter 5

**Fall**

Chapter Five: Officer

_Ryan_

Maria smiled at her proposition. "Well Ryan? Are you accepting the job or not?"

Ryan swallowed and nodded. "I guess I accept. But why?" Ryan was in shock at Maria's haste with the situation. He knew they needed police, and he wanted to be one, but just putting him as _Sheriff_?

"You know what you are doing. With as many people as we have, no one has police training. In fact, only three people here have military training. You not only have to tools and training, but you have the drive. You want to fight for the people to protect them. And you want to follow in your father's footsteps." Maria's lips curved as she said the last sentence.

Ryan reached forward and put his hand out. When Maria took it, he thanked her. "I'll take it. So long as you trust me."

Maria frowned slightly. "It's not that I trust you, Ryan. I don't know your past outside of what you're father has obviously taught you. I do, however, trust your actions. You wouldn't want to hurt anyone you don't have to. Especially Ellie." Maria leaned back in her chair and spun around. "There is an old police station you can use. We condemned it after clearing it, but you can put some work in if you really want it."

Ryan walked out and headed back to his place. Tommy left a note on his front door to let him know that the house had been cleaned for him and power should be on sometime in the morning. He stepped inside and maneuvered through the house to the garage. He yanked the large metal door up and pulled the jeep into the large two car space.

He hopped into the jeep and started to unload the items in his boxes. As he turned to throw a box onto the concrete, he found his only friend standing there. "Hey Shady," Ellie said as she walked up and sat down on the tail of the jeep.

"That's Officer Shady to you," he scolded. He tossed another box out of the back.

Ellie giggled. "I love a man in uniform. Super fucking sexy."

Ryan stopped emptying the jeep and sat next to her. "Do you even know what you're saying? Me, sexy? Those are not synonyms. Besides, I don't think I'll get a uniform." He layed down on the cold metal of the jeep bed. She laid back with him and folder her arms behind her head.

"Who would you get a uniform from?" Ellie questioned. Ryan could tell she wasn't understanding the situation. He sighed and tried to draw it out for her a little better. "Maria. She offered me a job."

Ellie sat up quickly and turned to look at Ryan. "Wait, you're actually a cop?"

Ryan nodded his head and sat up with her. "Not just any cop. I'm the sheriff of Jackson. If I choose to accept, that is."

She jumped out of the jeep and walked around it. "Dude! This is great! Do you know how much shit we could get away with if you were the only cop in town? You gotta accept!"

Ryan looked out into the sunset and contemplated his new business. "Who says I'd let you get away with anything? I'd be the only cop in town and I'm sure as hell not gonna be a corrupt one." Ryan reached into the box that sat next to him and pulled out a bag of marshmallows.

"Because you can't deny me," she said as she popped around the side of the jeep to face him. Ryan shoved a marshmallow into her mouth and got out of the jeep. He gathered wood he had in the bed and placed it on the concrete floor. "This is good. Really fucking good. What is it?"

Ryan took his lighter out of his pocket and started a fire under the wood. "They're called marshmallows. And wait until you try them melted with chocolate on grand crackers."

He found the chocolate and pulled metal rods out of another. He handed one to her and gave her a marshmallow. "How are these things so puffy? Aren't they like twenty years old?"

Ryan laughed and bounced his head up and down. "Yeah, found an airtight container a while back with dad and we took a few bags. They won't last much longer, though."

He put it on the end of the rod and caught Ellie following his every move. He moved slower to give her a chance and put the rod over the fire. After a few minutes, he pulled the golden toasted marshmallow from the fire and looked up to see Ellie pull a ball of fire out. She sighed and he handed his over.

"I burnt all of mine when dad first taught me how," Ryan said as he took the burnt one and put it on chocolate and a cracker.

Ellie put the perfect marshmallow into her mouth with the soft chocolate and the crispy cracker. "Oh my god. This. Is. Amazing," she remarked as she moaned with a gooey chunk of smore in her mouth.

Ryan took a bite out of the burnt one. _I'll take the job, for her. She needs someone here to be her friend besides Joel and I'll keep her out of trouble._ "Hey Ellie?"

"Yeah, Shady?"

"You need to get a new nickname for me, Freckles. I'm taking the job and staying."


	6. Chapter Interruption

p style="text-align: center;"strongFuck you guys! Chapter stall!/strong/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Hey guys! I'm really sorry I haven't updated this story. I technically have more chapters that I plan to upload, but I'm currently on a plot block. I want to take the story one way, but I'm on that boring part where I have to have the characters emtalk/em for things to make sense. If you can't tell, I'm better at writing things that happen, not when things are slow. It becomes unappealing to do in my free time and I have another story on here that I haven't updated in FOREVER and a novel I'm writing, both of which are more entertaining to write while my teacher slowly explains Pre-calc to the imbeciles in my class. I hope you guys understand./p  
p style="text-align: left;"However, I do have one thing I want to mention before I upload as far as I want to give you due to my plot issues. I'm really thankful for your suggestions! The only way to become a good writer is to hear what people want to read, and I'm really appreciative that you guys actually took the time to tell me what to add to make my story better. So, here's what I got for you:/p  
p style="text-align: left;"-I'm going to develop characters more before I actually start to pair Ellie and Ryan. I needed to get him into the town and show that he and Ellie were to be good friends before I got to deep with fucked up back stories and PTSD./p  
p style="text-align: left;"-For those of you not paying attention, they will be a couple, and I might make it tastefully dirty (Descriptions on the things that will have meaning to their characters, not "He slammed it into her pussy")./p  
p style="text-align: left;"-I know who these characters are and how they react to things. I fucking did my research! I was obsessed with the story for a good long time. Still am. So don't argue with me about decisions unless you can prove to me that you know as much or more about them as I do. For instance, Joel is in his 50's. Most people on this website have this crazy idea that he's early 40's, which is fucking crazy! This is basic math! I believe I go off on this rant in one of the chapters./p  
p style="text-align: left;"-This will be a tragedy, so please, no crying. SPOILERS, PEOPLE DIE./p  
p style="text-align: left;"-Tommy and Maria aren't as important to me on a scale of character development. This story is about Ellie and Ryan. Since Joel is the father figure for the earlier, he's important too./p  
p style="text-align: left;"-You will figure out Ryan's background soon. Most of you will have figured out (I hope) that he's kind of a suspicious character. The weapons he has, the skills, the fact that he has both a dog and a working jeep, his history is short explained, he lied to them. Lots of things that don't really make him trust worthy. HINT HINT./p  
p style="text-align: left;"-I don't know how long this will be. I'm sorry. It's going to be as long as I need until I do the scary thing I plan to do. I'm not gonna write this into complete boredom where I just want to kill the fucking story. If I get tired, I'll tell you guys that there will be a hiatus for the time and to just kinda check in here and there./p  
p style="text-align: left;"That's about it for me. I do really want to thank you guys for reading and I promise that I'll try to get stuff done for this story, but my novel is pretty fun to write, so this is a second. I also have real (Not that you're all fake) people begging me for the next chapters to my book. Thanks Guys! You're all fucking beautiful and I would marry you and give you cookies if I could./p  
p style="text-align: left;"-Pancake/p 


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